Ancestors' Geneameme

Jill from the Geniaus blog has created a new meme:  The Ancestors' Geneameme.  Here are my results.

The list should be annotated in the following manner:
Things you have already done or found: bold face type
Things you would like to do or find: italicize (colour optional)
Things you haven’t done or found and don’t care to: plain type
You are encouraged to add extra comments in brackets after each item

Which of these apply to you?

1. Can name my 16 great-great-grandparents
2. Can name over 50 direct ancestors (I can name 108 at last count)
3. Have photographs or portraits of my 8 great-grandparents  (I have six, but have seen a portrait of the last two, but do not have a copy of it)
4. Have an ancestor who was married more than three times (I wrote about Medina Sherer here)
5. Have an ancestor who was a bigamist
6. Met all four of my grandparents (only three, my grandpa Lee died before I was born)
7. Met one or more of my great-grandparents (I saw my Hiby great-grandparents several times before they passed away)
8. Named a child after an ancestor (my children's middle names only)
9. Bear an ancestor's given name/s
10. Have an ancestor from Great Britain or Ireland (my most recent would be Fanny Arnold Harmon, my 2nd great-grandmother)
11. Have an ancestor from Asia
12. Have an ancestor from Continental Europe (yep, lots)
13. Have an ancestor from Africa
14. Have an ancestor who was an agricultural labourer (I think nearly all my ancestors were involved in agriculture)
15. Have an ancestor who had large land holdings (not sure how large is large, but many had 160+ acres)
16. Have an ancestor who was a holy man - minister, priest, rabbi (Rev. Isaac Grindstaff, a Baptist preacher)
17. Have an ancestor who was a midwife
18. Have an ancestor who was an author
19. Have an ancestor with the surname Smith, Murphy or Jones (sigh, yes, at least two different unrelated Jones lines)
20. Have an ancestor with the surname Wong, Kim, Suzuki or Ng
21. Have an ancestor with a surname beginning with X
22. Have an ancestor with a forename beginnining with Z (Zerlinda, daughter of Medina mentioned in #4 above)
23. Have an ancestor born on 25th December (nope but a set of great-great-grandparents got married on Christmas)
24. Have an ancestor born on New Year's Day (4 relatives, but not a direct ancestor)
25. Have blue blood in your family lines
26. Have a parent who was born in a country different from my country of birth
27. Have a grandparent who was born in a country different from my country of birth (my most recent ancestor of foreign birth is Fanny Arnold born in Warwickshire, England in 1856)
28. Can trace a direct family line back to the eighteenth century
29. Can trace a direct family line back to the seventeenth century or earlier
30. Have seen copies of the signatures of some of my great-grandparents
31. Have ancestors who signed their marriage certificate with an X (While I'm sure I do, I'd be happy to just have a copy of a marriage certificate!)
32. Have a grandparent or earlier ancestor who went to university (I was the first college graduate in my family, followed by my sister three years later)
33. Have an ancestor who was convicted of a criminal offence (I've heard rumors of a bastardy bond filed against a couple of ancestors - sure would like to see the evidence of it.)
34. Have an ancestor who was a victim of crime
35. Have shared an ancestor's story online or in a magazine (several times here on my blog)
36. Have published a family history online or in print (Details please)
37. Have visited an ancestor's home from the 19th or earlier centuries
38. Still have an ancestor's home from the 19th or earlier centuries in the family
39. Have a family bible from the 19th Century (I do have copies of pages from an early 20th century bible that lists some 19th births/marriages.)
40. Have a pre-19th century family bible

I have more on my list than I thought I would.  It makes me feel like I've accomplished something in the last dozen years or so.

Porter J. Harmon and Rebecca Armstrong

Porter J. Harmon and Rebecca Armstrong are my third great-grandparents, through their son Walter Harmon. 

Porter J. Harmon was born 14 May 1819 in New Marlborough, Berkshire, Massachusetts, to Walter Harmon and Azubah Hyde.  He was the oldest of five known children of this couple.  Very little is known of Porter's early years, but recent research has led me to his first marriage to Jane S. Hubbard on 25 November 1840 in Monterey, Berkshire, Massachusetts.  To this union was born one known child, a daughter Emma Jane Harmon born about 1842.

By 1845, Porter, his daughter Emma Jane, his parents Walter and Azubah, his sister Mary and her husband Ira Heath, and another brother, had arrived in Whiteside Co, Illinois.  Porter and his father Walter homesteaded property in what would later become Hopkins Township in Whiteside Co.  More specifically they lived near a small community called Round Grove.

In 1849, Porter married Rebecca Armstrong, also of Round Grove.  Rebecca was born in Pennsylvania in about 1825. While little else is known of Rebecca, I strongly believe that she is the daughter of the Barbara Armstrong living nearby in the 1850 census in Whiteside Co, Illinois.  I have an unsourced date of death for Rebecca Armstrong Harmon as 31 March 1876. It may be likely she was buried in the nearby Round Grove Cemetery.  Porter and Rebecca had the following children:

1. Adaline born Sept 1853, married Almon Zimmer on 3 July 1871 in Whiteside Co, Illinois and died 24 Jan 1922 in Clark Co, South Dakota.
2. Evaline born in 1855, married Lemuel Moffat on 20 Aug 1878 in Whiteside Co, Illinois and died in 1904 in Clarkesville, Butler, Iowa as a victim of a fire.
3. Walter J. Harmon, my great-great-grandfather, born Feb 1857 and died 6 June 1921 in Clark Co, South Dakota.  He married Fannie Arnold on 16 Feb 1882 in Whiteside Co, Illinois.
4. Mary born May 1862, married Samuel F. Etter on 29 Dec 1881 in Whiteside Co, Illinois.  By 1900 the couple was living in Adams Co, Washington.
5. Barbara born 1867 in Whiteside Co, Illinois
6. Milo born 1869 in Whiteside Co, Illinois.  It is presumed he died before 1880 as he is not found in that census with the rest of the family.

Porter married for a third time on 24 Jun 1880 to Margaret Houston in Whiteside Co, Illinois.  I do not know what became of Margaret after this time.

In about 1883, Porter, his son Walter and family, his daughter Adaline and family travelled to Clark Co, South Dakota where they homesteaded near the town of Clark.  Porter died in Clark on 25 November 1897 after having gone out to do the chores.  According to his obituary, Porter was living with his son Walter.  Porter is buried in Rose Hill Cemetery north of Clark.  His children Walter and Adaline and their spouses are buried nearby.

Please contact me if you are researching this family.  I would be thrilled to share information.  Sources available upon request.

©2011, copyright tracysroots

Memory Lane: What a Difference an Apple Makes

I was a tween in 1986 when I first worked on an Apple computer.  It sat in the back corner of my school classroom and we were given assigned times to work on it.  I recall it had a 5 1/4 inch floppy drive and a flashing green cursor, but have no recollection of what I did on the computer. 

Two years later, I was in junior high at a different school district taking a required computer class.  I again worked on an Apple computer until I had "paid my dues", so to speak, and was able to move up to one of the limited numbers of Macintoshes in the room.  I was in love!  This computer stuff was easy.  I remember thinking once I learned to type (which came the next year - backwards, I know) working on computers was going to be great.

Fast forward to high school where I took a variety of business and computer classes as some of my elective choices.  One of the offerings was desktop publishing on a Mac.  I remember loving that class, the teacher, and marveling at how simple the Mac interface was.  As a senior, my business teacher recommended that I take another class that focused on learning the PC interface as preparation for college.  My god, it was like taking a step backwards trying to learn WordPerfect 5.1 on a DOS-based system.  It got worse when as a college freshman I was required to take another computer basics class where we learned more DOS programs.  I missed my Mac, but I was suddenly immersed in a PC world.

That was about the time I met my husband who was a landscape architecture student.  Because of all the draft courses in his major, he used a Mac.  I used his computer a few times to write papers, rather than fighting for a computer in the labs spread across campus.  As my husband and I entered the workforce, our focused shifted to PCs and we drifted away from our beloved Apple products.

And then came the iPod.  It was musical magic.  I stopped buying cds and started converting our existing cds to play on the iPod.  Then my husband upgraded to an iPhone, which really helped with his work.  I was green with envy and couldn't wait until I was due for a phone upgrade.  On Mother's Day 2011, my husband gave me a white iPhone.  He was like a kid in a candy store as he helped me set up my new toy phone.  The first app I downloaded was the Ancestry.com app so I could have my trees handy!  While I never really cared about the kind of cell phone I had before, this iPhone has changed my life, just as I expect Steve Jobs thought it would.

Just last week while checking Facebook on my iPhone, I learned of Steve Jobs passing.  It's hard to describe how his innovations have changed the last 25 years for me.  Rest in peace, Mr. Jobs.  There will never be another like you.

Note:  I am not affiliated with Apple, Inc. or any of their products mentioned.  I am just a satisfied paying customer.
©2011, copyright tracysroots

Children of Walter and Fanny (Arnold) Harmon

As I mentioned in my previous post, my great-great-grandparents, Walter and Fanny (Arnold) Harmon, had five children.  In this post, I will present a bit more information about the children.  Please contact me if you have further information.  I would LOVE to share.

1.  Edward Joseph Harmon, my great-grandfather.  I wrote about him in this post.

2.  Edna Barbara Harmon: born 16 Feb 1885 in Dakota Territory in what became Clark County, South Dakota.  Edna married a second cousin, Willis Fellows Heath, in Clark 15 July 1901.  According to the 1910 U.S. Federal census, they were in Jefferson Co, Colorado and had 2 living children (Maud and Emmett) and one child deceased.  Willis registered for the WWI draft in Kansas City, Missouri and they were residents of that city in the 1920 U.S. Federal census.  By 1930, they were apparently living apart.  I have found Barbara living with their son Emmett.  She lists herself as head of household and married.  I have not been able to find Willis in 1930.  Willis died 11 October 1944 in Kansas City of stomach cancer.  The death certificate indicates he was buried in Lawrence, Kansas and his last residence was in Merriam, Kansas.  Edna married a second time to a Clarence W. Harrod.  She died 11 April 1951 in Kansas City as a result of bronchial pneumonia, abdominal peritonitis, and likely the ultimate culprit was metastasized liver cancer.

3.  Ida Elizabeth Harmon: born 13 July 1890 in Clark Co, South Dakota.  Ida married Walter W. Watson on the 30 October 1909.  They were living in Clark Co in 1910 for the U.S. Federal Census but by about 1914, they had moved to Alberta, Canada.  According to Fannie Arnold Harmon's obituary, Ida was living in Gadsby, Alberta Canada in 1945.  She died there 14 May 1954 and is buried in Stetler-Lakeview Cemetery.  Ida and Walter had at least four children:  Vivien about 1911, Vienna about 1912, a son Virge about 1913 and Victor in 1929.

4.  Fannie Mary Harmon:  born 12 March 1892 in Clark Co, South Dakota.  Fannie married Herbert E. Schaefer on the 6 June 1911 in Clark.  By 1920, Fannie and Herbert were living in Orleans, Winnesheik Co, Iowa, which is the area Herbert was from.  The couple had four children (birth dates are approximate):  Esther b. 1914, Arvine b. 1915, Viola b. 1917, and Laverne b. 1923. 

5.  Morris Walter Harmon:  born 25 April 1896 in Clark Co, South Dakota.  Morris married Jessie Mae (last name unknown) prior to 1920.  They had three children (birth dates are approximate):  Wilma Joyce (1920-1920), Ida born 1922, and Izetta born 1923.  Morris served as a Private in the Air Service in World War I.  Morris lived in Clark County his entire life and died there in 1962.  Jessie died in 1971.  The couple is buried in Rose Hill Cemetery, Clark County, South Dakota in the Harmon family plot with Morris' parents, Walter and Fannie, and Walter's father, Porter Harmon.  Their infant daughter, Wilma, is also in the family plot.

I would be thrilled to connect with any descendants of Edna, Ida, Fannie and Morris.  I do have a few pictures and more specific information on the oldest child, Edward, who is my great-grandfather.  I am happy to share my sources and further information.  Also, if there are any errors in the above information, please let me know so I can update this post and my database. 

©2009-2011, copyright tracysroots

Obituary of Fannie Arnold Harmon 1856-1945

Published in the Clark County Courier, June 14, 1945, Thursday edition:

Funeral Friday for Early Pioneer
Mrs. Fannie Harmon Passed Away in Clark Home Tuesday Evening.
Funeral service will be conducted from the Peace Evangelical Lutheran church Friday afternoon for Mrs. Fannie Harmon, early day pioneer of this community, who passed away Tuesday evening at the home of Mrs. Sarah Felstehausen in this city.  Mrs. Harmon was nearly 89 years old at the time of her death.
Born at Warwickshire, England, November 7, 1856, a daughter of Mr. and Mrs. Edward Arnold, she being the last member of a family of 13 children.
At the age of 10 years, Mrs. Harmon came to Ontario, Canada, with her parents.  As a young woman she went to Illinois to work and there met and married Walter Harmon, at Round Grove, Illinois on February 16, 1882.  To this union 5 children were born.  Mr. and Mrs. Harmon came to Clark county, Dakota territory, in March, 1883 and filed on a claim in Mt. Pleasant township.  They farmed in Clark county until 1908, when they moved to the city of Clark.
Mr. Harmon passed away at his home in Clark on June 6, 1921.  Mrs. Harmon was a member of the church of England, and became a member of the Peace Evangelical Lutheran church of Clark, a few years ago.
Besides her five children, Edward of Henry, Morris of Raymond, Mrs. Edna Harrod of Kansas City, Mo., Mrs. Ida Watson of Gadsby Alberta, Canada, and Mrs. Fannie Schaefer of Cresco, Iowa, Mrs. Harmon is survived by 15 grandchildren and 18 great grand children.
Services will be held from the Peace Evangelical church in this city Friday afternoon at 2 o'clock with Rev. W. H. Zuecher in charger.  Interment will be in the family lot in the Rose Hill cemetery.  Pallbearers will be George Sherwood, Earl Anderson, Ardean Graff, E.A. Silfies, L.T. Strand and Max Brown.


Notes:
This obituary says she died at the home of Sarah Felstehausen.  I do not recognize that as a relative nor do I recognize any of the names of the pallbearers.  I would appreciate hearing from anyone who know know of those individuals.


©2011, copyright tracysroots

Memory Lane: The Challenger Explosion

That frosty January morning of my fifth grade year started as every other school day did.  I got up and began to get ready for school.  I decided I really didn't feel well and went to my mother.  After feeling my forehead and taking the obligatory temperature, my mother decided I wasn't going to school that day.  My sister, three years my junior, headed off on her own to wait for the bus.  My mother got herself ready for work and then I was at home with just my grandma.  I can't recall where my grandpa was but likely out working in his shop on something or other.

I had settled onto my mom's bed with pillow and blankets in tow to watch morning television.  I distinctly recall seeing the first few minutes, maybe even as much as a half hour, of Bob Barker and The Price is Right.  Suddenly there was a breaking news story cutting into the show.  The Challenger launch at Cape Canaveral had gone awry.  It was too early to know what happened, but I recall there was a lot of speculation on the news anchor's part. 

When it became apparent that The Price is Right wasn't going to resume any time soon, I relocated to the living room sofa.  My grandma had likely been watching Donahue as was her routine after everyone left for work or school.  She was watching the NBC coverage and I can distinctly see Tom Brokaw talking about the apparent explosion of the Challenger Space Shuttle.  The morning wore on, the coverage continued, and the questions began.  I must have watched that short, but tragic video clip a hundred times that day.  The focus seemed to be so much on Christa McAuliffe, the first teacher in space.

Probably the reason this day sticks so much in my memory was that Idaho teacher Barbara Morgan was in the Teacher in Space program with McAuliffe and was backup to McAuliffe for the Challenger launch.  Our local news coverage was heavy in the days leading up to the Challenger launch, with particular emphasis on the Morgan connection.  She was an elementary school teacher in the McCall-Donnelly School District and it was big news that little ol' Idaho had such a teacher worthy of being selected for this elite group.  I remember it was talked about in my fifth grade class.

My memories of the rest of that day are blurry, likely from not feeling well.  I know I went to school the following day.  I remember the teacher talking to the class about explosion.  It was the top story of the NBC news coverage for days to come.  And I remember learning that the Teacher in Space program was suspended.

Though the program was halted due to the catastrophe that January day, Barbara Morgan did get her turn in space when in August 2007 she participated in a 12-day mission to the International Space Station.  Following her successful mission, she has been a speaker and more recently at the local university as a Distinguished Educator in Residence.  However, nearly all news coverage of her links her to the Challenger disaster and Christa McAuliffe.

It seems hard to believe 25 years have passed since that day I didn't feel well. 
©2011, copyright tracysroots

Obituary of Walter J. Harmon 1857-1921

This obituary was published in the Clark County Courier, Clark, SD on June 9, 1921:

Walter J. Harmon Passed Away on Monday Morning
 Another of the early settlers of this section passed to the great beyond at nine-forty Monday morning when the death angel called Walter J. Harmon to his eternal home.
Deceased was born at Round Grove, Ill., sixty-six years ago and was there united in marriage to Fannie Arnold in 1881.  A year later he was one of a party who came to South Dakota and took up a homestead in section five, Mt. Pleasant township, where he lived for many years and raised a family of five children.
In 1907 Mr. Harmon moved to Clark where he has since resided and during the past several years has not enjoyed the best of health, having experienced a paralytic stroke a few years ago from which he never fully recovered and was unable to walk prior to his death.
Besides his widow, deceased is survived by three daughters and two sons, Mesdames Edna Heath of Kansas City, Walter Matson of Canada, and Herbert Schaeffer of Cesco, Iowa.  Ed and Maurice of near Garden City.  Funeral was held from the late home in this city Tuesday Afternoon with service at the Methodist church conducted by Rev. Hoyer and interment made in Rose Hill.

Notes:
First, I believe he was 64 years old rather than 66 at his death.  He listed his birth month and year in the 1900 census as Feb 1857.  Additionally, his headstone lists 1857 as his birth year.
Secondly, his daughter Ida married Walter Watson not Matson as listed above.
Lastly, his younger son's name was spelled Morris not Maurice.

©2011, copyright tracysroots

Take a Stroll With Me Down Memory Lane

For a long time now I have been trying to decide how to record some of the memories of my childhood, my college days and some of the memories of my husband and I before we got married.  I want to be able to share those memories with my children who are now too little to understand them but hopefully someday can appreciate them.  Additionally, now that my sister has been out-of-state for a few months and will likely move away permanently, I want to share with her some of the things I remember of our childhood.  I hope maybe she will even want to share her stories and memories, since I know mine differ from hers.  I have talked with my own mother and grandmother about things such as Pearl Harbor, the Kennedy Assassination, the Beatles invasion, Watergate and a whole plethora of now historical events.  I want to have those same memories documented of the major historical events that have occurred in my lifetime.  And, with luck, I can record some of the memories of my family, too.

I have been a long admirer of Greta's Memory Monday posts but lack the discipline to post weekly, not to mention the lack of comparable writing skills.  Let's face it, nobody can tell the story of a simple dish like Greta!  So in honor of Greta's original Memory Monday posts, I am creating my own Memory Lane posts.  I hope you will join me as I take a stroll down my Memory Lane. 

©2011, copyright tracysroots

Walter J. Harmon and Fanny Arnold

Walter Harmon and Fanny Arnold are my great-great-grandparents, through their son and eldest child, Edward Joseph Harmon.

Walter was born February 1857 in Whiteside Co, Illinois, likely in or near the community of Round Grove.  He was the son of Porter J. Harmon and Rebecca Armstrong, and one of six children.  When Walter was 19 his mother passed away, leaving some younger siblings without a mother in the house.

Fanny was born in Berkswell, Warwickshire, England on 7 November 1856, the daughter of Edward Arnold and Mary Arnold.  When Fanny was only about 4 years old, Mary died, leaving four young children.  Edward remarried to Emma Smith and had several more children.  At about the age of 10, Edward and Emma brought their children to Niagara, Ontario, Canada.  They settled in this area and as of current research, Fanny is the only child that I have found to have left Canada.  In about 1881, Fanny arrived in Whiteside Co, Illinois though by what route I do not know nor do I know the reason she came.

On the 16th of February 1882, Walter and Fanny were united in marriage.   Their first child, Edward, was born in 1883 and as a two-month-old infant the family relocated to Dakota Territory.   Walter and Fanny homesteaded property in Clark Co, Dakota Territory, in what is now Clark County, South Dakota.  It appears that Walter's sister, Adaline, and her husband Almon Zimmer, as well as their father, Porter Harmon all came together from Whiteside Co, Illinois.

Walter and Fanny had five children:

1. Edward Joseph, my great-grandfather, born 9 Jan 1883 in Whiteside Co, Illinois
2. Edna Barbara born 16 Feb 1885 in Clark, Clark Co, Dakota Territory (now South Dakota)
3. Ida Elizabeth born 13 Jul 1890 in Clark, Clark Co, Dakota Territory (now South Dakota)
4. Fannie Mary born 21 Mar 1892 in Clark, Clark Co, Dakota Territory (now South Dakota)
5. Morris Walter born 25 Apr 1896 in Clark, Clark Co, Dakota Territory (now South Dakota)

Their original homestead was in Mt. Pleasant township in Clark Co.  Research indicates that Walter's father, Porter, likely lived with Walter and Fanny on their farm until his death in 1897.  By 1910, the family had moved into the town of Clark and lived their until Walter's death on 6 Jun 1921.  According to Walter's obituary, he had suffered a stroke some years prior that left him unable to continue farming.  He died within days of my grandfather Fred's birth.  I always have wondered if Walter ever saw his grandson through which the family middle name of Joseph was passed along.


Fannie Arnold Harmon - July 1944

As a result of Walter's death, Fanny was a widow for over 20 years.  During her later years, she lived with her son Edward.  My grandfather Fred was the youngest of the children in the house, so he spent some of those years at home with his grandmother Fanny living with them.  Because she was only 4'10" tall, Fred had coined the term "Little Grandma" and I remember as a child hearing him refer lovingly to his "Little Grandma".  She died 12 Jun 1945, just mere months before my grandpa Fred returned from his military service in her home country of England.  I remember him speaking with regret that he didn't make it home in time to see her before her death.

Walter and Fanny are buried together in Rose Hill Cemetery, north of the city of Clark, Clark Co., South Dakota.  On my mother's recent trip to South Dakota, she photographed the headstones of her great-grandparents.


Photo taken June 2010


Please contact me for more information, especially if you descend from Walter and Fannie.  Please note that I have seen Fanny's name also spelled Fannie. 

©2009-2011 copyright.  All rights reserved.

Honored to be Ancestor Approved

I have been remiss in acknowledging the kindness of two fellow bloggers for awarding me with the Ancestor Approved Award originally created by Leslie Ann Ballou of Ancestors Live Here.  Back in December, Cheri Daniels of Journeys Past posted a comment to honor me with this award.  Last evening, I was pleased to received it again from Sue Edminster of Echo Hill Ancestors.  Both of these wonderful blogs were new (to me) and have been added to my Google Reader.  Please take the time to visit and add them to your feed.

Considering I haven't been a consistent blogger of late, I am deeply honored these ladies think enough of what I have done here to consider me for this award.  When I first received this award last spring, I posted my list of what surprised, humbled or enlightened me and that list is still appropriate today.  I hope you will take the time to revisit that post.

As for passing it on, I am behind (again) in my reading and have no idea who has received this or not.  At this time, I will defer passing it along but there are hundreds and hundreds of wonderful genealogy blogs written every day so please consider yourself honored.  I would be thrilled to read your list so please share.

©2011, copyright tracysroots

Looking Back at 2010 - Part 2

Because my computer is bogged down in an online backup, it is too terribly slow to try to upload photos of the things I discuss below.  Please look for those at a future date.

Please see Part 1 where I discussed my 2010 goals.

At some point this summer I realized that once my second daughter was born, I stopped making an effort to put up recent pictures of our girls and stopped updating photo albums. Two children became more than double the work and I really let things slip. As a way to make up for that and to document our lives currently, I decided to take the plunge to begin digital scrapbooking. I had successfully completed one traditional (i.e. paper) scrapbook a few years ago which both girls love to look at. It really hit me that the album I had made was of my older daughter at about the age my younger daughter is now. I knew I needed to make something for both girls that they could view (and laugh about) for years to come.

I have successfully completed one digital album that also doubled as a gift.  Last August we took a trip to the Oregon Coast.  My in-laws and two nephews joined us.  There were lots of wonderful memories from that trip.  For my mother-in-law's Christmas gift this year, I made a 10 page album with all the pages made digitally.  The bonus is that I can make copies for us as well.  Two albums for the work on one!  I am all about saving time.

The second way I decided to document our lives was to make an album (12x12 size) that documents each year's Christmas photo and letter.  Yes, I am one of these people that write a standard letter to enclose with the Christmas cards.  Because I send out over 40 cards each year I simply do not have time to write a personalized letter.   I was able to find letters dating back to 2000 which is probably the first year I wrote such a letter.  I am making an individual scrapbook page for each year from 2000 until 2003.  Beginning in 2004, I am doing a two-page spread that has one side with the letter and the other side with the Christmas photo of our family.  It has been a lot of fun to read about the major happenings in our lives like the year we got a new puppy and two weeks later I had thyroid surgery, or the first Christmas after 9/11, or the year our oldest daughter was born followed four years later by her baby sister.  It's amazing some of the details that I have forgotten.  This album is helping us to remember.

If you are interested in documenting the stories of our lives now, especially through digital scrapbooking, I highly recommend the following:

• Ali Edwards - Beautiful photography and with a strong emphasis on the story
• Cathy Zielske - First off, she's very funny, but she makes beautiful, simple pages.  She, too, emphasizes the story.
• Renee Pearson - She has a wonderful intro to digital scrapbooking class called Just The Basics. 
• Jessica Sprague - Extensive class selection on all things digital for scrapbooking, photo editing and design.  I have taken her Family History Album class as well as Up And Running, an intro to digital scrapbooking.  I also will be completing the followup for the intermediate level.

While I am no artist, I have created some pages that my daughters can look back on fondly and remember.  That to me has become one of the most important things I did in 2010.


©2010, copyright tracysroots

How One Little Word Will Guide My 2011

I will readily admit that I am not good at New Year Resolutions.  I always start out with a bang and fizzle in no short order as my work week rapidly expands to 50+ hours through mid-April.  By that time, I'm tired and have long forgotten what I wanted to do on January 1st.

I have been very intrigued by scrapbook blogger Ali Edward's One Little Word concept and how it guides so many people through their new year.  Once I started thinking about this concept, I realized that this is actually something that might work for me.  It's not a Resolution (which always get broken) and it's not a Goal (which I'm not so good at either).  It's just one word.  I can do that!

So then I started thinking about how I wanted this word to correlate to my family history research AND work with the memories my family is making now.  All of December I spent agonizing over this choice and realized that it shouldn't have to be agonizing....that's how I feel about resolutions and I didn't want this to end as those usually do.

While many people following Ali's blog or taking the class came up with very profound, thought-provoking words, I chose something simpler.  For me, my word is Completion. 

I started by making a list of the top 10 items I wanted to complete during the year.   And I don't mean start, lose interest in and abandon.  I mean complete, as in finish, be done with....well you get the idea.  I won't list them all right now, but I can say I have made great headway already on three of those items. 

First on the list was to sign up for Mozy Home.  I actually signed up on December 30th to take advantage of a coupon for a year's subscription.  I downloaded the program, selected the files to backup on my new computer and the external hard drive (in my case these are not duplicates) and it is has been chugging along ever since.  With over 30,000 files to backup, it's a slow process but one that I feel is very worthwhile.

The second and third items on the list are really the same project, just one for each of my daughters.  When I was a child, my mother saved the greeting cards I received for birthdays, holidays and Valentine's from school friends.  She put those in a scrapbook for me and it was always so much fun to look at all of the pages.  I wanted to do the same thing for my children so when my older daughter was a year old I gathered all of the cards and put them in an album....and that is where the project stopped.  She is now nearly 7.  So I started by tackling the smaller scrapbook for my two-year-old and I can happily report hers is complete through 2010.  I am still in the sorting and organizing phase for my older daughter but am very close to putting those into an album for her.

Already Completion is working for me.  Here it is the 11th of January and I have made progress.  While my list isn't static and I do expect to make changes over the course of the year, I will continue to work through them.  Slow and steady wins the race, right?


©2011, copyright tracysroots